Shooting, climate change, drought and more frequent El Ninos have reduced water bird numbers by 82% from 1983 to 2004. The 2007 survey shows water bird populations have dropped even further. Polls have shown that 87% of Labor respondents, 83% of Liberal/National Party supporters and 98% of Greens voters want the recreational shooting of native …
Two critically endangered plants have been found in a controversial area that was left out of the new East Gippsland reserved areas before last year’s state election. The State Herbarium has verified their identity The exciting discovery of the small stand of about 100 plants was made during our Forests Forever Easter camp in 2007. …
The Prime Minister’s stacked Emissions Trading Task Group is comprised of airline, coal, banking, aluminium and mining interests, as well as hand-picked bureaucrats. What’s missing is any objectivity – there was not a single scientist, enviro rep. or independent person. The terms of reference required the group to protect the coal and uranium industries at …
Burning forests for power – back on agenda If Mr Bracks wants to increase drought and weather extremes in the state, he’s doing a great job, but they’ll need an army of spin doctors to sell this latest one to the public. The Bracks government is again planning to generate power by burning Victoria’s native …
Australia has relatively unreliable weather patterns and so it’s in a precarious position with water supplies and food production. Given these fragilities, we have a lot to lose in the climate stakes, yet our greenhouse emissions are increasing faster than the global average, and at nearly twice the rate of the USA. Across the world, …
The debate over logging water catchments has been won hands down by environmental arguments, but Minister Thwaites refuses to accept the science. Below are his bizarre arguments and the responses from Sarah Rees from the Central Highlands Alliance, who’s been tracking this issue for years. John Thwaites – Only 0.02% of Melbourne’s catchments are logged …
Drought and irrigation needs have almost tipped our fragile river red gum wetlands over the edge. As if that weren’t enough, Mr Bracks now plans to have more than 100,000 red gums cut down for Victorian railway sleepers. The Murray River has no replacement for its red gum forests. The Mildura railway line does; it …
When he was leader of the opposition in 1995, Mr Brumby made this statement in Parliament: “In my remaining 16 minutes I will make a case for why we need an independent commissioner for the environment to ensure that governments honour policy commitments that they have made with other governments. There is no better example …
Ending logging is the fastest and cheapest solution to climate change. Logging and forest destruction is now recognised as one of the main causes of climate change. In the next 24 hours, world deforestation will release as much CO2 into the atmosphere as 8 million people flying from London to New York.According to a report …
Our local MP Craig Ingram was on ABC talkback in February waxing lyrical about the inspiring majesty of whales and how Japan shouldn’t be hunting them. When I suggested that our land giants were equally rare, awesome and inspiring and were being equally butchered for an equally senseless reason, he stuttered a disagreement. His capture …
